Wildlife

Water rail

Water rails are genuine oddities amongst British birds. With their pig-like squealing, and a fondness for impaling wrens with a spear thrust of the beak, they are unpredictable and noisy, yet reclusive. Their slender legs and toes are adapted for walking on floating plants, allowing them to slip quickly through the marshy vegetation without being seen. Cold weather triggers predatory behaviour, which is out of character with its largely insectivorous lifestyle, and they have been known to attack species as large as knots.